Republic Trooper
Republic troopers were special forces of the Galactic Republic created to deal with various threats from the Sith Empire following the Great Galactic War. History During the Great Galactic War, Republic troopers were deployed throughout the conflict against the Sith Empire which had returned from its long periods of exile. These soldiers fought in engagements such as the Battle of Bothawui where a detachment served under Jedi Master Belth Allusis who died heroically against the Sith onslaught. Their deaths served as an inspiration for the Galactic Republic who had previously been fighting a losing war and gave them hope due to the heavy losses they inflicted on the Imperial Army. Another squad of troopers also fought in the Battle of Alderaan when the Empire invaded the peaceful world. Following the Treaty of Coruscant in 3653 BBY, an uneasy truce was formed between the defeated Galactic Republic and the ascendant Sith Empire. In anticipation of future conflict in the event the truce collapsed, the Republic military began developing elite Special Forces units to counteract the military might of the Sith. Members of these elite strike teams were selected based on their martial prowess, discipline and high morale. In past millennia, the Jedi Order had participated in the defense of the Republic alongside regular military units. Over the generations, the Republic military had cooperated in military operations and strategy with Jedi. However, following the upsurge of anti-Jedi sentiment following the Sacking of Coruscant, the Jedi had withdrawn to Tython, leading to decreased Jedi presence within the Republic. Such developments led to the increased deployment of regular Republic forces in defending the remaining Republic territories. They saw extensive service during the Cold War and the following Galactic War and were often deployed in small units to the most dangerous battle zones. When operating solo or in groups, however, the trooper could still be a terrifying opponent to the enemies of the Republic. Such was their reputation that they generated fear even among Sith combatants. Nearly three millennia later, the Clone troopers had succeeded the Republic troopers as the Galactic Republic's army in the Clone Wars. Overview During the course of their career, troopers were able to specialize in different battlefield doctrines. One specialization adopted by certain troopers was that of the Vanguard. These soldiers went into the battlefield wearing unstoppable advanced heavy armor along with an utterly fearless attitude. They were among the first and best line of defense in the Republic military. They proved to be steadfast warriors who ignored personal risk whilst going into the line of fire in order to divert danger from allies or innocents. In combat, they had a tactical role which was inherently dangerous though Vanguards had uncanny survivability due to their expert defensive tactics along with the equally advanced technology at their disposal. In contrast, the other specialization were Commandos who were trained in advanced assault tactics and weaponry. They charged into the battlefield where they made use of massive blaster cannons in order to devastate their enemies with overwhelming and brutal firepower. It was their high-powered hardware that allowed them to dominate the battlefield where they were capable equally of taking out enemy bunkers with focused firepower or driving back an Imperial assault with concussive bolts. Commandos were able to lay waste to all foes that fell within their range and many of the greatest victories of the Republic were attributed to the decisive actions of these troopers on the battlefield. Equipment Envisaged by Republic military planners as the most advanced force in the Galaxy, Republic troopers were trained and equipped to face a wide variety of foes, environments and situations. Since the Great War, Republic engineers had developed heavier and more powerful blaster rifles. This trend inspired a galaxy-wide shift towards the use of more versatile arms. Since it took a great deal of strength and skill to operate these weapons, they were rarely used outside the military. Due to extensive action in the Great War and the subsequent Cold War and Galactic War, the Republic military was constantly pushed to design more powerful capable blaster rifles every year. Their defensive armor was specially designed to provide maximum protection and flexibility for a wide range of environments. It was also capable of withstanding anything from laser fire to bomb blast. The design of their armor appears to have served as the basis of the armor donned by the clone troopers millennia later during the last years of Republic. Troopers attached to Special Forces were known to be issued BT-7 Thunderclap rapid assault ships. With training and proper use of these powerful weapons at their disposal, the Republic Troopers are an elite force to be reckoned with in combat. Behind the scenes In the MMO: Star Wars: The Old Republic, the path progression tree for the trooper class allows players the option of either choosing a Commando or Vanguard specialty with each being equipped with their own armor variations as well as equipment. http://www.swtor.com/news/news-article/20110527 The Imperial counterpart for this class is the Bounty Hunter.